


Summoning 101

by bronxterror



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Diamond & Pearl & Platinum | Pokemon Diamond Pearl Platinum Versions
Genre: F/F, Fate Inspired, Gijinka, M/M, Multi, Shinou-chihou | Sinnoh Region (Pokemon), world building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-16 04:28:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29819442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bronxterror/pseuds/bronxterror
Summary: Welcome to a world that you might recognize.Though many things seem similar, if not identical - this is not the world of Pokemon.This is a world of Wizards and Daemons.Though they're called many things throughout the world - Youkai, Yaojing, Fairies, Anima - Daemons are the same wherever you go. The souls of nature, life, and everything, manifested into shapes like humans, but inherently inhuman. Every sunbeam, every tree, every patch of flowers. All are potential Daemons waiting to awaken, or the home of an already enlightened Daemon.While no Daemon ever has a true name, humans can contract with them by granting one of their choosing. Humans who are bound by contract with a Daemon are referred to as a Wizard, and one Wizard can have many Daemons under their purview.However, Wizards have their own responsibility. They are not free to simply grant names and command an army. There is give, and take. A Daemon's needs must be met, and there is an unspoken agreement between those sharing a contract.Power.A Daemon wishes to become more powerful - fighting others, consuming energy, and growing. Refining themselves beyond their base nature, and growing into something more.
Relationships: Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

“Once again, I thank all of you who have turned in for today’s lecture.”

A rerun of an old TV program played once again on the TV, two boys sat in front of it, as always.

“Though we won’t be covering anything groundbreaking today, the basics of this world are still important. For those new Wizards readying to head out into the world, and those veterans who have forgotten themselves...knowing the basics is equally important for everyone.”

The TV flickered with static - it was an old TV, and an old recording, perhaps ten years old. On the screen was a large, well built man, easily in his fifties, with brown hair that was bleeding color in long thick, streaks of silver. Dressed in blue, and a brown trench coat, he cut a professional look on the program, as always.

“This world of ours is big, and beautiful. The skies continue on into the horizon in all directions, and the forests are as vast as the seas. The world is full of warm sunbeams, cold winds, and the sounds of birds in the trees.”

Professor Rowan spoke clearly and passionately - even though it was something he claimed to just be  _ “the basics”. _

“Every one of these things is a part of our wide world. And just like everything in this world, they are  _ alive. _ Living and breathing - though not in the same way that you or I are.” He reaches one hand out, and a pulse of a sigil above it is just  _ barely _ caught on tape. “Yew, a demonstration?”

A wind blows throughout the auditorium his lecture is taking place in, as feathers and leaves fade into existence, and ride the winds throughout the entire room - before coming to a stop next to Rowan himself. Tying themselves together, they pulse white, and then a deep, earth-like red as a silhouette forms.

The light breaks, and the silhouette reveals its nature - a man, about Rowan’s age, yet built with lean muscle instead. He had no shirt, but a long cloak of feathers in reds, whites, and browns that fluttered around him almost like wings, with feather like hair with a long, red streak that fell down over one eye.

Unmistakably, his feet were large, wicked talons, as he floated easily about Rowan.

“This is my partner, Yew. We have been together for quite some time.”

Barely audible came a deep reply from the man, “Quite some time indeed, old friend.”

Rowan smiles, just a bit - imperceptible on anyone else, but his face was so stern that any change in it was so easily spotted. “Indeed. Yew is not human, but he is no bird, despite what his appearance may entail. He is what we now call a  _ ‘Daemon’ _ \- a spirit of the natural world.”

Both boys, as one, lean closer to the broadcast, even though they’ve seen it who-knows-how-many times.

“For every instance of a natural phenomenon in this world, there is a spirit associated with it, a Daemon who is born from it. Some may not be active - some may be sleeping. But they all exist. The plant in your windowsill. The campfire on your back porch. The babbling brook behind your house. Every one of these things is a home to a Daemon. They are the world. And, just like our world, they can be kind, and they can be cruel. Capricious, consistent. Benevolent and malevolent. There is no way to paint all of them the same. But one thing is true - all of nature is with you,  _ always. _ ”

His words steal breath away from any viewer, as the recorded auditorium and the boys in kind are struck in stunned silence.   


“Those of us who work with Daemons are called  _ ‘Wizards’ _ . Bound together in a pact by the promise of a name, a Wizard and a Daemon work together in an unspoken bond of promise. A promise for power, growth, direction...there are countless reasons these pacts form. The Daemon grants its Wizard its power and assistance, and the Wizard grants it direction, and helps it to grow. That is why the Wizard Leagues exist.”

He takes a deep breath, and speaks clearly, and emphatically.

“No matter who you are, you must remember that the pact between Wizard and Daemon is built on  _ equality _ . Both sides give, and both sides take. Just as we give and take from the world and are given to and taken from by it. For one to try and dominate the other...is a pointless endeavor. A cruel one, surely. If you must take anything away from this, take away that to be a Wizard means you must be as patient as you are strong -”

Before Rowan can finish, Barry had run up to the TV and clicked it off, turning back to his friend with a wild grin on his face. “That’s it, I can’t wait anymore!”

Shane fondly snorts in the face of his childhood friend, brother really, as he does his little running-in-place dance that he never quite grew out of. “What do you want to do, Barry, run off to Professor Rowan’s lab right now?”

“Of course!!!” Barry hops in place a few times, before pulling himself together - just the smallest bit. “Rayler and I have been practicing our synchronization for a while now, y’know?! We’ve gotten pretty good at this whole thing, but we’re still waiting here! Aggghghgh, Shaaaane, why can’t you just contract something outside right now?!”

“Maybe because I don’t want to end up like Chihiro and her parents after getting on the wrong side of a Mismagius?” Shane offers. “Or maybe it has something to do with the application I sent to Professor Rowan? No, that can’t be it… Maybe it’s because our moms will literally kill you if you drag me off into the forest again?”

Barry’s face puffs up in indignation. “That’s a movie, a movie! That doesn’t  _ actually _ happen in real life, really!!!” He starts to tug at his hair, before flopping onto his butt and sulking by the stairs. “You’re no fun. Where’s your bravery, huh?”

There’s a flickering of static as his clothes rub against the rug. The static climbs his back, and grows - until it becomes the shape of a small boy with blue-black hair, shorts, and a blue circle cloak that covers his shirtless body. Barry’s partner, Rayler.

“C’mon Barry, it’s not his fault,” He soothes as he leans against Barry’s back with his own. “He’s just not as ready for fun as we are, y’know? Some people move slower, and it’s okay if his pace is different.”

“But we were gonna become Wizards together…” The blonde mutters into his own legs.

Shane’s arms wrap around Barry’s shoulder, pulling his sulking friend into a big side hug. “And we will be, Barry. Soon enough I’ll be beating your ass in Wizard duels every day of the week, and we can explore all of the haunted forests you want.”

And for extra measure, Shane playfully baps at the Daemon’s head, ruffling Rayler’s already wild hair. “And Rayler will have a friend he can fight without getting curbstomped immediately.”

Rayler only sticks his tongue out at Shane, a smile in his eyes anyway.

Luckily, this all seems to get Barry’s spirits back up - he was always simple about such things - as the blonde hops to his feet. “Alright, then! I’ve got it!”

With a blink, his two friends turn to him in confusion.

“Rayler, we’re gonna go to Sandgem Town, and get Professor Rowan! He’ll  _ have _ to come here faster if we drag him here!” Barry shouts in excitement, already barreling down the steps, and out the house.

With a snicker and a smile, Rayler turns into light, and flows out the window to follow his Wizard - as Shane can see Barry already bolting out of the house through the window.

The blonde stops, and calls up to the window of the house - “You’d better get a move on, or I’m fining you! A million - no, a BILLION dollars, Shane!!!!!”

“Barry, no! We’re not kidnapping a Daemon Professor!” Shane shouted as he suddenly found himself running after his idiot friend.

It was Barry, he’s stupid enough to actually go throught with that scatterbrained ‘plan’!

“Hi Mom! Bye Mom! Barry! Get your blonde butt back here!” Shane shouts as he dashes past his mother and out of his house.

Of course, following Barry is easier said than done. Back in school, the boy had been a track star runner, and it showed in his speed and stamina. It was no wonder a spirit of electricity had chosen to partner with him - just his movement probably generated impossible amounts of static electricity. He could probably power a city, even.

Shane could just barely see Barry running past the town gate, into the still-snowy woods of Route 201 - until the sound of a mighty  _ crash _ filled the air, even this far away.

Which didn’t sound like any of the  _ usual  _ local spirits Barry could’ve crashed into.

“Barry I swear if you crashed into an ice spirit I am going to fucking- !”

Oh.

That’s not a Daemon.

“Barry, I can not  _ believe _ you actually kidnapped Sinnoh’s leading Daemon Professor in the  _ six seconds _ I took my eyes off of you.”

...Actually he sort of can, but that’s not really important here.

On the ground were both Barry,  _ and _ Professor Rowan. He was much older than their recording showed, of course, since there was at least ten years between the two. His hair had gone completely silver, and yet still rather full.

“P-professor, are you alright -?” A voice comes from a bit further down the path, as someone runs up to the Professor - helping him stand.

Someone about Shane’s age, with slightly curly red hair that was tamed underneath a black beret cap, and carrying a bag on their shoulder.

The Professor nods with a sigh, as he brushes himself off. “Yes, I am. I may be old, but I’m not  _ fragile _ , Charlie. Not yet, anyway.” He looks down at Barry, and helps him up as well. “Although, I wasn’t expecting a human to knock me over like that.”

And as soon as Barry’s on his feet, Shane has his hair in a death grip, and forces him to bow down in apology with him. “I’m very sorry, Professor Rowan, Barry here’s an idiot who doesn’t look where he runs.”

“Just because that’s true  _ this _ time doesn’t mean it’s true every time -!” Shane’s grip on Barry tightens further. “Ghghghgaghahhakahahak!!! Shane, Shane, Shane, you’re gonna pull my hair out!!!!”

“Barry, need I remind you of the nickname everyone gave you in elementary school? The one that was given to you because of the noise you made whenever you crashed into someone? Do you want me to call you that in front of Professor Rowan and his pretty assistant? Do you, Thud?” Shane’s tone was conversational, but there was a palpable pressure around him that even the socially inept could vaguely sense.

Unfortunately, Barry goes  _ beyond _ socially inept, as his struggling only redoubles.

The Professor’s assistant flushes, face becoming almost as red as their hair at the compliment as they pull their hat down over their face a bit.

“It’s not  _ too _ much of a problem, I assure you.” Professor Rowan speaks, drawing both Shane and Barry’s attention to him. “However, I do hope you weren’t doing something so bold as to run out into the wild  _ without  _ a Daemon beside you.”

Barry hops up, and out of Shane’s grip as he puffs his chest out. “Of course not! Rayler and I were going to make it nice and quick. We were gonna find you so you could finally make our friend here a Wizard, already! I got my partner a while ago, but he was waiting for an official one, or whatever.”

The Professor’s assistant snorts, and mutters under their breath -  _ “Like a sane person, you mean?” _

Shane can only sigh at Barry’s…. Barry-ness, before shooting a small smile to the Professor’s assistant and extending a hand out to the older man. “It’s an honor to meet you in person, Professor Rowan, I’m Shane Eaton. Barry and I’ve both been avid followers of your televised lectures for a long time now. Even if some lessons have sunk in better than others in his case...”

“Shane Eaton…” The man thinks for a moment, before nodding. “Yes, you applied to be part of my upcoming research project, on the theoretics of Spirit Refining.”

Barry can’t help but blink. “Uh...what’s that, again?”

Shane holds back a sigh. “The  _ glowy-growey-thing _ , Barry.”

“Oh -!”

Rowan snorts, before chuckling deeply. “I suppose that is  _ one _ way to put it!” He calms himself, before continuing. “The Refinement of Spirit is the process by which a Daemon is brought closer to their origin, or have their origin expanded. This increases their powers, capabilities, and changes their form. By strengthening and fighting with your Daemons, you can Refine their spirits until they transform. And I have an experiment that requires new, unbound Wizards to explore.”

Barry visibly  _ wilts  _ that he can’t participate.

“Which I signed up for.” Shane said, more for Barry’s benefit than anything before his voice started to get hopeful. “Given that you’re here, can I presume that I was accepted?”

Rowan nods. “You may, indeed. Charlie, if you could?”

His assistant nods, and comes up in front of Shane, holding out their bag. “I-In here, are three of the Artifacts for you to pick, so you can make your decision. The one you take will be your primary object of study, but information on other Daemon’s will also be appreciated!”

“Indeed. And of the two you do not pick, Charlie will pick another.”

The assistant - Charlie, rather - freezes, turning back to Rowan with wide eyes. “W-wait, sir, you...you can’t be serious, right? I didn’t...I didn’t sign up for this hoping for anything, I promise -!”   


“I know.” He pats their head, mussing their hair further under their hat. “But you’re a trustworthy young lad, and I believe you’re trustworthy enough for this. Besides,” He smiles, like a grandfather to their grandchild, “I know your dream, and this is the best way I can think to help you.”

“Professor…” They pull their hat down further over their face, but it doesn’t cover it at all. “...A-alright.”

“But the middle of the street is no place to awaken your first Daemon partners. So - Mister Shane, Mister Barry.” The professor turns to the two, his moment with Charlie done. “Would you mind having us at one of your homes for a moment?”

“Oh, of course! My mom would be more than happy to meet you and see two spirits awaken.” Shane offers, knowing that Barry’s mother might be a bit more distracted by Professor Rowan’s fame. “Come on, I’ll lead the way.”

Shane grabs Barry by the back of his scarf and starts dragging him off back into Twinleaf Town proper.

Barry isn’t even able to protest, as Shane’s grip on his scarf leads him gasping and choking for air. But he knows it won’t hurt him - Barry’s too dumb to lose any more braincells, and too sturdy to let it get him down for longer than a few minutes.

After returning to Shane’s house - and his mom setting out a pot of tea - the group sits in the living room, around the table. Shane’s mom had sat down on the loveseat, while Rowan sat next to Charlie and Shane on the couch.

Barry was, of course, flitting around the room like some sort of possessed hummingbird.

“Alright, Charlie - open the bag.”

Nodding, Charlie does so - setting it onto the table, and undoing the clasps. Inside of it is a plush lining, with three keychains nestled carefully into the fabric.

One, a turtle curled around a clay pot, a small sapling growing from it.

  
Another, a penguin standing proudly behind a shield.

The last, a monkey with hands of flame.

“These three Artifacts are something I commissioned for the sake of my research,” Rowan begins, “You see, there are two types of Daemons. Those who are natural spirits, and those who are artificial. Artificial spirits start weaker, but often end up much stronger than their natural counterparts, and are from the modern world. They’re what you most often think of when you think of a classic ‘starter’ type of Daemon. This trio is even more special.”

“...How so, Professor?” Shane asked, thinking over the options before him.

Definitely not the penguin, a steel typing would be at a disadvantage against Rayler. Nothing against steel types, of course! But… well, he doesn’t feel comfortable starting out with such an advanced Daemon typing.

“My primary research focus is on the process of Spirit Refinement, and how it affects Daemons. Though their final form is often consistent, their methods of reaching there and their own unique characteristics are completely different from one another. Other times, a single Daemon family’s evolutions can reach entirely different origins. As such, to prune as many variables as possible from the observation, this trio has no true ‘origin’ to be derived from.” Rowan explains. “Each has their own nature - their base type natures, and their species nature. But they have no true ‘origin’ - such as, say, your friend’s Rayler’s origin as static electricity.”

Charlie nods. “This isn’t bad, or anything - it doesn’t hurt or affect them negatively, as far as the Professor’s predictions go, but it does make them more predictable to track.”

Shane nods, furrowing his brow. Nothing that would affect his Wizard’s Journey, but it was a good thing to know about his starting Daemon.

And between the turtle and the monkey… Shane thinks of the old story of the Tirtouga and the Lopunny.

With Barry’s need for speed and hyperactivity, it’s only natural that Shane would empathise with the wise, slow turtle Daemon, right?

And so, Shane picks up the keychain with the turtle curled around the clay pot with a sapling in it. “I’ll take this one, I think.”

“Which is fine, because…” Charlie reaches forward, and takes the penguin keychain, a smile on their face. “I’ve always liked steel and earth.”

“Yes, that’s about what I expected from you.” Rowan chuckles.

“Well, well, well?!” Barry sticks his head between Charlie and Shane’s heads, eyes glittering with excitement. “Wake ‘em up! I wanna see, I wanna see!!!”   
  
“W-will you stop -?!” Charlie elbows Barry in the throat, sending the poor guy down to the ground behind the couch with a  _ gag. _

“Hahaha… So, it looks like we’re going to be together for the long haul, huh?” Shane holds up the keychain to the light. “Well, if you awaken for me at least.”

He takes the keychain to his chest, and focuses on it. On what he wants to do with the Daemon sleeping inside.

He sees himself, competing against Barry in a Wizard Tournament. Walking through a forest, where only glimpses of the sky peer through the thick canopy. Delving down into caves and ruins beneath the earth, battling and meeting all types of people along the way. Eating at a cafe in Jubilife City, exploring the Great Marsh of Pasoria City, experiencing the frigid cold of Snowpoint City.

All of those images, those hopes and dreams, have someone else there too. His Daemon.

_ ‘I want to explore and leave Twinleaf Town. I want to go to the other sacred lakes, and contract as many different types of Daemons I can possibly meet. I want to see everything that Sinnoh has to offer, and bring back all sorts of stories and friends to my cozy little town. Do you want to come along with me… ’ _

**“Hickory?”**

A verdant green glow envelops the keychain clasped in Shane’s hands, and in a flurry of leaves and grass clippings, the Daemon takes form in his arms with the smell of freshly turned dirt on the wind..

“It sounds like fun… I can’t wait to see where we go.” A soft, relaxed voice carries through the cloud of flying vegetation, before said cloud bursts into Hickory's corporeal form.

He was a young boy with tanned skin, no older in appearance than twelve, with spiked dirt brown hair and two drooped amber eyes wearing green shorts and a brown tank top. A yellow mouth guard rests at his neck and two hand sized leaves poke out of his hair, denoting his nonhuman nature.

Seeing Shane’s success, Charlie takes a deep breath and follows suit - holding the keychain tight against their chest in prayer, closing their eyes tight. Their entire body seems to clench as they wish, and pray with their entire being.

Whatever it is they’re thinking, it’s hard to guess - it certainly takes a bit longer than it took Shane.   


  
“Please...I know it might be a bit selfish...but I want you with me…” Their voice is almost impossibly quiet.

**“Roland!”**

Azure light pours from the gaps in Charlie’s fingers, as their call is answered. Like rivers and ribbons of water, the light flows out from the keychain. Bubbles, glinting like steel, come together as one into a shape of a human.

“If you’ll have me, I’ll happily serve you!” A voice echoes from the silhouette, as a burst of water spray reveals its true shape.

A boy, about ten to twelve. Dressed in a light blue shirt and dark blue shorts, with yellow rain boots and fingerless gloves, he looks like your average baseball player. This is only accentuated by his hat, which resembles a penguin’s bill and covers his curly blue-white hair. Over it, however, he has a dark blue hood with a cape, tied in the front with white hoodie strings. His eyes shine in glimmering silver, with his hood lined the same color, as he lands.

Both boys land, smiling at their new Wizards.

Rowan and Shane’s mother both clap, smiles on their face, while Barry climbs back to stand using the couch.

“Well, I do say that went rather well, you two.” Rowan’s smile doesn’t wane, as he pulls out two devices and passes them on to them. “Now, these will record the growth of your partners, and let you retrieve information on any Daemons you may encounter. These are called Grimoires - and have many other functions beyond it.”

Looking back at Barry, Rowan decides to pass on a third to him. “I’ve a few extras for unplanned moments like these, so you may have one as well for your own journey.”

Barry yells in excitement. “Heck yeah! See, see, see, Shane?! We’re both official Wizards, now!!!”

“Haha, yup! Thanks for waiting for me, Barry.” Shane says with a warm smile to his friend. “And congrats on your first contract, too, Charlie.”

Charlie chuckles a little at the two of them, looking down at the keychain that represented his new partner. “Yeah, you too…”

Roland stuffed himself right next to Charlie on the couch, making the small amount of room on it already smaller. “We’re gonna do great together!”

Seeing that, Hickory crawls onto Shane’s lap and pulls his contractor’s arms around him like a blanket with a lazy smile. “...Warm…”

Shane chuckles, and puts his Grimoire aside to investigate later. “You find a good spot?” He teasingly asks his Daemon.

Hickory nods. “Mmmmmmm. I did.”

“Before the four of you get comfortable, I do have a request for you.” Rowan cuts through the comfortable air. “Since you’re both working as collaborators on this project, I’m going to have to ask the two of you to travel together, in order for you to comment and track each other’s progress. Two eyes are better than one, after all.”

“Eh, what about me?!” Barry cries, already tearing up a little.

The elderly professor chuckles. “I apologize, but you aren’t one of mine. You’re free to do whatever you like. How about you go on ahead and strengthen your bond with Rayler, and find new partners? I’m sure these two will catch up with you, and you’ll have plenty to show them.”

The tears in his eyes turn to sparkles. “That’s...brilliant! Thank you, Professor! You sure are smart!” He leaps over the couch and the table in one single motion, and bolts for the door.

After he’s already out, he runs back - running in place in the entrance. “And if you guys make me wait too long, you’ll both owe me a fine of a million dollars!!!!” And then, like a hurricane, he’s gone.

Charlie blinks, hugging Roland around the shoulders, “...Is...is that normal, for him…?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it. The debt never goes above a billion dollars, and he forgets how many millions you ‘owe’ him if you keep him distracted for long enough.” Shane scratches his head. “I just hope he remembered to bring clothes and toiletries and stuff this time…”


	2. Chapter 2

After a little bit longer of cuddling with their new partners - Hickory refusing to move, and Roland clamoring for attention - the duo finally managed to convince their partners to let them actually get ready to leave.

Or at least, Shane’s mother did.

“It isn’t that I don’t want more pictures for the scrapbook, Shane, but, well -” His mother smiled, having already taken several with the camera in her hand, “I’ve got quite a few already, and if you stay here any longer, you’ll lose daylight. We don’t exactly have spare clothes for your friend, either, if they had to stay the night.”

Shane chuckles sheepishly, before picking Hickory up with him. “I know, I know. Just let me grab my bag and stuff and I’ll be out of your hair. Do you want me to grab Mei from Lake Verity for you?”

“If you’d like, but she’ll come back when she’s ready. Though, I think she’d like to meet your little friend,” His mom said, reaching out and pulling on Hickory’s cheek just a little bit. “She always is fond of little tree types.”

Hickory lazily smiles through his stretched cheeks. “You have pretty colored nails, Ms. Mother.”

She chuckles a bit. “You can call me Dani, dear.”

And so, Shane goes upstairs to grab his things. His backpack, already filled with traveling essentials, along with his phone, a gaming system, and a solar powered electricity generator fresh from the packaging.

Not exactly comfortable being around someone’s mom, Charlie went upstairs to follow Shane, standing nervously on the steps. Roland drifted next to them, floating as if he were underwater.

“...Y-your room is nice…?” They muttered, awkwardly, as they tried to get a good look at everything there - eyes eventually stopping on Shane and his travelling outfit.

Shane tugs his Talonflame designed jacket over his black T-shirt, his neck length hair swept to one side as he scratches at his ear - which Charlie now notices are pierced with small black studs.

“Thanks, I cleaned it up a bit in case I got the spot. It’s a bit bigger than what I really need, so Mei and Mom might end up turning it into a workout room or something with the TV in here… Hey Hickory, do you want shoes or...?”

Hickory tilts his head, looking down at his small bare feet, and then back up to Shane from his spot on the bed. “No thanks!”

“Maybe I  _ should _ go barefoot, too…” Roland thinks for a moment, starting to drift up into the air - before Charlie pulls him back down.

Charlie sets him down, and claps him on the shoulder. “Only do it if you want to, Roland, okay?”

“Mkay.”

Charlie turns back to Shane. “So...do you have everything, then, Shane? If you have anything that can’t fit in your backpack, you can slot it into your Grimoire.”

Shane blinks. “Oh right, they can do that…” He pulls out his Grimoire, and begins tapping through it. “Let’s see… here it is. I think there’s a folding table in the closet downstairs I can nab. Other than that and a camping chair, I’m already set.”

With a tap of his fingers, the backpack flickers away in particles of green light. “Awesome. That should be everything. You know what else this thing does? All I know are the most basic of the functions.”

“Well, let’s head downstairs. We can walk and talk. Speaking of...” Charlie turned to Roland, getting down to face-to-face level. “Since you’re probably young, you might not have a lot of stamina to manifest for a long time, so until we get somewhere to stop -” They hold up the original penguin keychain that Roland was born from, “You can enter spiritual form and hang out in here.”

Roland thinks for a moment, before nodding. “Yeah, okay. But you’d  _ better _ call me as soon as you need me, okay?”

“Okay, okay.” Charlie nods with a smile. “You’re my first partner, so I’m going to be relying on you for a long time, Roland.”

With a pleased nod, the penguin boy crosses his arms, and dissolves - becoming blue light, which flows into the keychain. It pulses with light once - blue- and twice - white- before settling.

“...I can already tell you might be a handful.” Charlie chuckles for a bit, before attaching the keychain to their belt. “You can do the same with Hickory, too. Something tells me he’s not going to want to walk very far…”

“Mmmmmm, being carried sounds better.” Hickory agrees, before he too dematerializes and flows into his keychain of origin, pulsing yellow once and then green twice.   
  
“He’s pretty lax compared to Roland, huh?” Shane comments before he ties his keychain onto the corner of his Grimoire.

“Lax is probably a good word, I suppose. Though I have a feeling Roland is gonna be pretty wild…” The last part was muttered, but still audible, as the other Wizard heads down the steps. “We can talk and walk, right?”

“Yeah, of course.” Shane says as he follows after Charlie, pausing momentarily to steal the aforementioned table.

“We’re going, Mom! Love you, I’ll send photos!” Shane shouts at the front door.

Shane’s mom, Dani, smiles and waves them off, “See you later, dear!”

“...Your mom seems nice.” Charlie murmurs, seemingly a bit uncomfortable, before looking back to the road as they pull out their Grimoire. “...Also, uh - you mentioned someone named Mei, earlier?”

Shane raises an eyebrow, taking note of it.

“Yeah, Mom’s Torkoal girlfriend. She likes hanging around Lake Verity during the winter and keeps the water from freezing over. It’s supposed to be bad luck or something, in addition to being bad for the water Daemon that live there.”

“...That sounds...hard.” Charlie looks up into the sky. “Like...I get it, but, Daemons can’t really die. So…”

Rather than focus on it anymore, Charlie shakes their head.

“Enough of that, though!” They were obviously trying not to think of a lot of things, as they hold up the Grimoire. “So, Grimoires have a few functions. They can store items, like we just went over, but they can also be a vessel for holding Daemons if you don’t have their Artifacts, or a sigil to summon them.”

Shane nods in understanding. “Is there an upper capacity for how many they can hold? I can’t imagine you’d be able to cram in as many Daemons as you want without any repercussions.”

“Six Daemons is usually the maximum, depending on how strong or weak they are. But six is also the maximum you’re allowed for regulation fights, so it’s usually not much of a problem. But sometimes, you have the Artifact your partner came from - like we do for Hickory and Roland, and other times, you’re like Professor Rowan.”

“Hmmmm? What do you mean by that?” Shane asks with a furrowed brow.

“Professor Rowan doesn’t have a Grimoire, or use an Artifact for his partner, Yew. Instead, the Professor has a Sigil! It’s like...a sign of his contract with Yew. And by triggering his Sigil, he can call Yew from wherever he is, and Yew can then return back to where he was when he’s done.” Charlie explains. “It’s really efficient, and good for Daemons who prefer to stay near where they were born.”

“Mmmmm, sounds like some pretty advanced spell work. Must take a while to get something like that set up, right?” Shane idly muses as he rolls over the concept in his head as he leads Charlie onto the path to the lake.

“I think it’s only really possible with strong enough Daemons, or those especially connected to their homes of origin. I never...really asked about it.” Charlie looks down at their feet. “I...didn’t expect to get Roland, or anything. I had a lot of dreams, but I thought that working with Rowan would be the closest I could get to them.”

“Mmmmmm. So are you gonna start chasing after them then now that you’re an official Wizard?” Shane asks, as he walks backwards on the familiar path, unworried of any potential wild Daemons in the area.

Charlie thinks for a moment. “...I guess I have to. My assignment is to help Roland grow and Refine his spirit, and the best way to do that is to enter the Wizard league - that’s the best way to improve his power. And that means collecting a big team of Contracts, too.”

“Sounds like a great deal to me then!” Shane cheers, the trees clearing up as they reach Lake Verity, one of the three great lakes of Sinnoh. “Well dreams or no dreams, Charlie, welcome to Lake Verity, the Spring of Emotions!”

Spread out before the duo was a massive body of water, surrounded by thick walls of high trees. Around the edges were small remnants of snow, and yet the sun shone high, the entire area bathed in warmth and light.

The surface of the water reflected scattered light onto low hanging mist, and yet if one were to look past it, they would see the lake’s bottom through the impossibly clear water. Strange shapes and silhouettes swam deep below the waves, Daemons and animals alike.

And, in the center of the lake was a small, grassy island, decorated with a single towering tree.

“...W-wow…” Charlie’s voice was stunned. “This is...amazing…”

“Yeah, it’s the best part of Twinleaf Town in the summer! The local Daemon are pretty friendly here, it’s like a safe haven for everyone.” Shane leads Charlie closer to the lake, looking down at the swirling shadows below.

“I wouldn’t recommend swimming in there though. The Magikarp will swarm anyone they can to try and ask for a contract before the bigger Daemons eventually save you.”

Charlie snickers. “Eventually.”

With the other Wizard coming to sit next to Shane, he can finally get a good look at them.

Like he first thought when seeing them, they were...pretty, definitely. Androgynous features, with wild dusty red hair and grey eyes, tucked underneath a black beret. They wore a black denim jacket, lined with white fur, and had a similarly red shirt on under it. Probably the oddest thing about their entire ensemble was the pair of goggles they had around their neck.

Shane turns back to the lake to keep from staring, and begins scanning the water for a particular Daemon.

“Now, where is she… Mei! You down there?!”

“Over here, love. No need to shout - t’was just about to head on home when I saw you and your friend get here.” A warm, female voice came from behind them - nearly making Charlie fall forward into the water.

Luckily - Roland materialized next to them just in time, catching his Wizard by the back of their jacket. “Aaaaahghgh! I got you!”   
  
“T-thanks!” Charlie gasped out, as they were pulled back, and then dropped onto their back in the grass.

“...Honestly, am I that scary…?” The woman sighed, resting her cheek in one hand.

“Nah, but you also don’t have any right to be as sneaky as you are.” Shane remarked with an excited grin, standing up to hug his second mom. “I got the gig from Professor Rowan! I’m officially a Wizard now!”

Hickory materializes besides the pair and waves slowly up at Mei. “Hi.”

Mei waved back, a warm smile on her face. “Hello there, you must be Shane’s new partner, then. The name is Mei, love, and I do quite a lot of work around here.”

The woman had dark skin, warm like burning charcoal, and her full, soft figure was wrapped in a dress of full, red fabric. Her hair, black and thick with curls, was tied back into a ponytail, the edges vanishing into white smoke. Burning red eyes looked down with warmth and mirth.

“Mmmmmm. I’m Hickory. Shane is really comfortable.” the young nature Daemon says as he nuzzles his face against Shane’s jeans.

“I’m your Wizard, Hickory, not a chair.”

“You can be both.”

Shane snorts. “Can’t exactly argue with that logic, now can I?” He bends down, and picks up his Daemon starter, holding him up by the waist.

“Yay~” Hickory softly cheers as he looks over at the lake from his new vantage point.

Roland huffs, looking at his fellow Daemon with frustration. “You can’t just laze around all of the time…! What if he needs your help?! You gotta be ready for it!” As if to prove his point, Roland reaches into his pocket and pulls out...a metal bat! “See?! You’ve gotta be ready for it!”

“Calm down,” Mei pats Roland’s head, the warm smile not leaving her. “You’re both still just children. You’ve a while to learn about how the world works, so don’t stress out too much, alright?”

“Yeah Roland, don’t stress out too much.” Hickory echos out, still taking in the lake’s scenery.

Puffing his cheeks out, Roland sets the baseball bat on his shoulders, looking put out.

“If it means anything, I’m happy to have you looking out for me.” Charlie stands, wrapping an arm around Roland’s shoulder. “So don’t cry or anything, alright?”   
  
“...Alright…” Roland replies, though he’s still obviously sulking.

Mei chuckles. “Well, if you dears are all good, I should be heading back home. I’ve managed to shed enough of my spiritual pressure here to ensure things stay nice and clear, and to prevent any other issues - so I’ve got to get back to my own darling partner’s side soon.”

Shane nods. “Yeah, just wanted to say goodbye before we left.”

“We’ll send pictures!” Hickory adds.

“Well, I’ll finish up things here, while you four get on your way. Something tells me Barry will be ready to throw a fit at this rate, if he’s already gone ahead of you lot,” Mei chuckles. “He’s just as fast as his father... _ Someone _ is going to need to find a way to get him to calm down.”

And so, the two Wizards and their Daemons head off to Sandgem Town, Twinleaf’s sister port town, where Barry was hopefully running around.

Because if he wasn’t, that meant that he was alone in Jubilife, the largest city in Sinnoh.

“...You know, it never gets easier seeing kids head out from here,” Mei sighs, watching the quartet leave. “Daemons, humans...they’re always full of life and eager to go everywhere. But I can’t help but worry.”

There’s a shimmer in the air, and the sound of wind chimes.

“You know, that doesn’t make me feel much better, love. I’ve known you for a  _ long _ time - them having your interest is more of a sentence than a blessing.”

A second set of chimes, high and low clashing in dissonance.

“I said what I said. And I don’t like the way you’ve looked at little Barry much, either. He’s got enough trouble without your lot sticking your noses in. And I’m speaking as one of your best friends.”

A few moments, and a quiet, soft chime comes from the water.

“...Yeah, all we can do is hope it’s nothin’.”

===

Sandgem isn’t that much larger than Twinleaf Town. Four major roads, a little serenic walkway to the beach by the harbor, an almost idealistic suburbia with minimal distractions other than the harbor, Professor Rowan’s lab, and a handful of flower garden parks.

Which makes it all the more concerning that Barry is nowhere in sight.

“Haaahhhh, that idiot went all the way to Jubilife, didn’t he?” Shane bemoans as he leans against one of the anchoring posts at the Sandgem docks.

“Well...maybe he just stopped at the next route over…?” Charlie suggests. “Maybe he’s trying to find a Contract besides...Rayler, it was? It’s likely he could have seen a Daemon he wanted and has been distracted with it. He seems the type, certainly.”

“...Oh  _ Arceus _ , we’re going to have to search the entire forest to find him if he’s off the beaten path.”

Charlie winces, “And...neither of us thought to ask him for the number on his Grimoire so we could contact him, did we.”

“Auntie Lyla’s gonna kill me if he ends up getting taken by an evil Daemon!” Shane bemoans as tears fall from his eyes. “I just became a Wizard! I don’t wanna die yet…”

Charlie couldn’t help but frown. “...If she’s his mom, shouldn’t  _ she _ be the one making sure he keeps himself safe? It’s not fair to you for her to expect you to take care of him.”

“Would you trust Barry to be capable of keeping himself safe? No wait, that’s not a fair question… Barry once tried swimming to the island in the middle of Lake Verity when we were like eight. He got halfway there by running on top of the Magikarp swarm before he slipped down and had to be carried to shore by a Seaking. He can not be trusted to keep himself safe in a locked room with only a paper bag.”

Shane looks off at one of the ships in the distance. “...You don’t think he could’ve ended up on a ship, do you? He… he isn’t  _ that  _ stupid… is he?”

“Well...the Professor told him to go make new partners, and I don’t think he can do that in the ocean. I think he’s probably waiting for us in the woods somewhere...probably talking the ears off of every Daemon out there.”

Shane sighs. “I hope you’re right, Charlie, I hope you’re right… So do you know who the last participant is supposed to be?

Charlie shakes his head, “Not really. I didn’t even know  _ I _ was a participant until the Professor told me. But now I’ve got Roland, so -”

There’s a sudden  _ whoosh _ of displaced air, as someone appears next to Charlie - swinging forward a cloth wrapped fist towards their torso.

In a flash of light, Roland appears between them, low to the ground. The air fills with the smell of a sea breeze as water gathers into his hands, and becomes a metal baseball bat. His entire body thrums with energy as he steps down with his forward foot, kicking up dust, and  **pivots.**

**_CRACK._ **

With a deafening sound of metal hitting bone, Roland’s swing goes through, sending the attacker reeling back.

He isn’t knocked off of his feet, he isn’t sent flying. He  _ slides _ across the ground, kicking up dust as his feet drag across the pier.

“...That’s weird. We should’ve had at least a three days notice if she was sending assassins after us.”

Roland stands up, snarling as he rests his bat on his shoulder. “What the hell was that?! What do you think you were about to do to Charlie, huh?!”

“Don’t care, don’t care.” The struck Daemon says smirking and now bouncing from foot to foot. The Daemon’s skin was pale in color, almost unnaturally. His eyes were covered by cyan colored hair with a pair of crimson strands standing up at the top. His hands and feet were wrapped up like a martial artist’s would, and on his legs were a pair of baggy shorts that were opened at the sides showing off his muscled thighs. His chest wasn't even covered by the short vest he wore. In addition he only looked a bit taller than Roland was.

“I had to deal with being on that stupid boat for so long and now I just wanna fight, fight, fight!”

“You want one? You’ve bought yourself one! No one touches Charlie while I’m around!” Roland’s entire body coils like a spring, indignation pouring off him in waves as he dashes forward - water shooting out of his feet to assist in his acceleration.

Staying low to the ground, he goes to try and knock out his opponent’s legs - only for the strange Daemon to leap over his horizontal swing, and spin.

Putting his entire body into an aerial roll, the pale boy swings his leg out, and slams his heel down into Roland’s back, slamming him into the ground hard enough to crack the concrete - propelling himself higher into the air, and away from the penguin.

Landing with a surprising amount of grace, he turns on his heel, and rushes forward towards the downed Roland.

Refusing to stay down much longer, Roland vaults up, and brings his baseball bat up - just in time to block an axe kick from his opponent, locking the two in a deadlock.

“Ugh…! I guess this isn’t half bad for a first time…” Roland mutters, wincing as he’s slowly pushed back by the Daemon’s powerful leg. “But I gotta...keep going!”

With a grunt of exertion, Roland banishes the baseball bat, letting it turn into water and mist. His opponent, caught off guard, continues his axe kick from where it was interrupted - completely missing Roland as he’s caught flat footed.

Using his left hand, Roland regathers the material from his bat, and brings it together into a metal pipe - taking a swing at his opponent’s head, and knocking him further aside and off balance.

Knocked towards the ground, his opponent instead catches his fall with his hands - balancing his entire body before it could hit the ground.

“Fun, fun! Let’s see just how long you can keep it up!”

Using just his upper body strength, his opponent begins to hop on his palms, spinning his legs out to kick Roland in the gut, knocking the penguin back.

Continuing to spin around on his palms, his entire body moves like a twister - preventing Roland from getting a good swing in.

Every time the penguin attempts to swing at his opponent - drawing a new weapon every time - they’re simply knocked out of his hands, or do minimal damage, until the entire pier is covered in water, the ground completely soaked and Roland looking worse for wear.

“G-geeze…!” He grits his teeth, as his opponent flips back onto his feet, taking a fighting stance again. “How are you still going?!”

“Haha, how can I not, when I’m having so much fun!? Don’t pansy out now!” He readies his fists, this time, “I’m just getting warmed up! Don’t drop until I really get going!”

Taking a leap, power gathering in his fists, Roland’s opponent goes for a powerful blow -!

“Gwahah!?!”

\- Only to be knocked face first into the ground, a lump forming on the back of his skull - as a young man appeared behind him, first out from having punched the Daemon into the ground.

“Thorns, what did I tell you about running off and attacking people, you fight junkie?!”

Roland blinks, dropping his prepared sledge hammer. “...Eh?! What gives?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we got the introduction of a few characters, and some more world building. Woo!
> 
> ...I don't really have a lot of thoughts on this chapter, sorry?
> 
> Oh, I loved writing the fight scene a lot. For the most part, you'll mostly see me writing most of the fight scenes - since if two of us, or even all three of us, try, it'll get really messy, really fast.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this update!
> 
> (Don't expect a lot of updates in a row like this, by the way, we were all just really excited for another chapter)


	3. Chapter 3

“I’m sorry that Thorns attacked you like that.”

The young man who had punched the fight hungry Daemon did an apologetic bow.

His skin was of a fair complexion, and his hair a shade of lavender. Red eyes softening from their angry look after his partner had fallen.

His clothes seemed to bely his high status - a fashionable suit that appeared to be custom made and modified to stand up to the rigors of travel.

Hickory appears beside his Wizard and looks down at the fallen Daemon, then to its apparent Wizard, and then to Shane. “Master, doesn’t he look a little too rich for an assassin?”

Shane nods with his Daemon. “Mmmmmm, yeah. Too young too. Auntie Lyla usually hires goons with more experience under their belts.”

“Why would people think that I look like some kind of assassin?” The young man asked.

“You don’t. Your Daemon just kind of attacked us out of fu- out of nowhere.” Shane said, ruffling Hickory’s hair.

“Yeah, uh, speaking of - what’s up with that?! He could have taken Charlie’s head off!” Roland sneers, picking his hammer back up and bringing it against his shoulder. “If I hadn’t stepped in, they could have been a smear on the concrete!”

“...I mean, he isn’t wrong…” Charlie mutters.

“Again, sorry. Thorns likes to fight so being on a ship that didn’t permit it made him stir crazy,” The young man said hoisting the Daemon up by the neck of his vest. “Apologize now, Thorns.”

“Urgh...sorry.” Thorns groaned before muttering a soft apology.

Charlie sighs, “...Fine.”

Their partner nods, though his glare doesn’t drop. “I’ll be watching you, though! Threaten Charlie again, and _your_ head will be a smear on the concrete!”

“...Can you even kill a Daemon, Roland?”

“I can try!” The penguin boy huffs, adjusting his cap as he responds to his Master.

“How about I treat you all, if only to give you compensation for Thorns’ actions. Food, drinks, etc. It’ll be on me.” The man, or Wizard, offered.

At the mention of food, Hickory’s stomach growls, his lazy eyes staring up into his Wizard’s soul.

Shane hesitates momentarily, before shaking his head. “I appreciate the gesture, but we really should be going. A friend of mine is traveling alone ahead of us, and I just want to make sure he’s okay.”

Hickory pouts before vanishing back into his keychain.

“Well...we can grab something to go, real fast. Maybe some vending machine things, or a stall?” Charlie suggests, then continues, “Besides, how much trouble can Barry get in? He’s just one guy, and it’s only been two hours at most.”

Hickory rematerializes, making soft puppy dog eyes at Shane.

Who, after biting his lower lip a bit, ultimately relents. “Alright, something quick. But we need to go after him sooner rather than later, the last time he was given an afternoon to entertain himself he became a Wizard.”

“...” The redhead paled. “Didn’t the Professor tell him he needed to go make new contracts?”

“That’s exactly why I’m worried!” Shane overdramatically throws up his hands.

“Hmm. I see. Very well, but I’ll consider it to be a downpayment on Thorns’ actions.” The Wizard said before widening his eyes. “Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m William Tell, and as you guessed this is my Daemon partner, Thorns.”

“Yo.” Thorns waved somewhat apathetically.

“I’m Charlie, and this is Roland. That’s Hickory -” Charlie gestures at the begging boy and his Wizard, “And his partner is Shane. We’re Professor Rowan’s research fellows.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” Shane nods as Hickory once more dematerializes.

Not wanting this to stew for much longer, Charlie starts walking. “Let’s get something on the way, and talk more later. If you want to make it up to us, you can help us find Shane’s friend. Six pairs of eyes are better that four.”

“Sure. Let’s get going then. If he’s in the wild then hopefully Thorns can sense him, though since he hasn’t met him personally it might be hit or miss.” William agrees easily.

“It won’t work. Barry’s too stupid, he only shows up as a particularly intelligent animal to psychics.” Shane shoots William’s idea down, his own pace a little quicker than either of the thriving Wizards.

Charlie’s brow furrows as they run after Shane, the intern’s scientific mind burning. “...Do you mean you’ve _tried_ psychics before -?!”

“Yes, Auntie Lyla has a Gothitelle! She just flat out can’t tell Barry apart from a squirrel!”

===

The road to Jubilife was a fair bit clearer in terms of trees than the path from Twinleaf to Sandgem, mainly due to the large amount of travel in the form of cargo trucks that Sandgem’s ports demand to transfer mail and cargo from out of the region into the heart of Sinnoh’s thriving City of Joy.

Unfortunately, only the main road was paved and leveled, so the three Wizards were moving up and down the hills of Route 202, the usual beautifully scenic rolling hills being slightly marred by Shane’s desire to power through them like a human bulldozer.

“Fuc- Stupid hills! Why haven’t they flattened out the walking path too!?” Shane shouts as he gets back up from the tumble a loose patch of gravel had graced him with after he tried running along the trek to Jubilife.

“Because if they pave over the woods, they’ll upset a lot of the Daemons that live here. How would you feel if someone bulldozed your house to make a road, Shane?” Charlie says - looking more than a little winded.

Shane can only grumble, brush off the back of his pants, and sigh. “I wouldn’t like it… It’s just that Barry and I’ve never been outside of Twinleaf, okay? You hear all kinds of stories about the City of Joy, and… not all of them are happy, yah know?”

“I can imagine. There have been some rumors concerning Celadon City, back in Kanto.” William replied, nodding at Shane’s words before handing him a cold bottle of MooMoo Milk they got from a vending machine. “Have a drink. You don’t want to dehydrate yourself before we get there after all.”

“....Thanks.” Shane says as he takes the bottle and begins drinking the Daemon-sourced liquid.

“It won’t be long, now. Look,” Charlie points over the hill towards the horizon. “You can see Jubilife pretty clearly from here, it’s just going to be past this hill.”

Roland comes to stand next to Charlie, having a blast with the hike so far. “Whoa, even though it’s mid winter, there’s almost no clouds over the city…!”

“Lots of people means a lot of Daemons. I think there’s a few contracted to the city itself to mildly adjust the climate to fend off large storms that might mess with large satellite dishes and stuff. Jubilife is sort of the central communication hub of Sinnoh, so if it goes down a majority of the region is disconnected from itself, especially the two sides of Mt. Coronet.”

“Sounds reasonable. Anything specific there that might attract your friend’s attention?” William asked, taking a drink from his own bottle.

“Ahhhh, follow the shiny lights? Like I’ve said, I’ve never been to Jubilife, so I have no idea where to start looking for the blond moron.” Shane frowns, his eyebrows furrowing. “Probably not the Jubilife TV station itself, but you might find him if there’s something worth reporting around. Probably getting in their way, honestly…”

“Well, you’re forgetting the most important part of Jubilife,” Charlie interrupts Shane, as they take a bit of a break with Roland. “It’s a three way crossroad between three different gym routes. Oreburgh Gym to the east, Floaroama and the way to Eterna Gym to the north, and Canalave Gym to the west. If Barry made a new partner, then he’s going to be heading towards one of those routes. Or waiting for Shane there.”

“I guess if he is there, we might need to split up since we wouldn’t know which route he’d take first.” William thought out loud.

“...I’ll look around the north and east roads out of town. The maps of Jubilife make them seem relatively close together. William, you can cover the west route for a hyperactive blond with a green scarf. Charlie, you’d be able to spot Barry in a crowd, so I think you’d be a good fit for looking around the rest of town. That sound good?”

Roland snickers a little. “Hyperactive is short selling Barry pretty badly!”

Charlie wacks Roland on the head lightly, the penguin squeaking and holding his head. “We’ll handle it. I’ve been to Jubilife plenty of times, so I won’t get lost, either.”

“Got you.” William nodded in affirmation, “And if I’m in trouble just follow the bodies.”

Once the group had reached the bottom of the hill, on the steps to the approach of Jubilife’s footpath, Charlie stopped them.

“Hold on, before we split up…” The redhead holds up their Grimoire. “We can share our numbers so we can contact each other once we find him. Or if you get lost.”

They looked at the city - the wide sprawl of tall buildings that only get taller the further in you get, full of milling people, countless voices already echoing amongst them.

They smile wistfully, “Because you _will_ get lost, eventually. And you won’t always have a big brother to find you.”

“That’s a great idea, thanks Charlie.” Shane gives his companion a weary smile as he shifts his bottle of Moomoo Milk into his left hand to open up his own Grimoire.

“Alright.” William replied, doing the same.

And so, the three Wizards spread out.

===

Unfortunately, while the other two had clear directions and destinations, Charlie was left with the entirety of Jubilife’s spreading center.

“...Shane’s really never been out of Twinleaf, huh?” They sigh, trying to keep an eye out for the blond and his ridiculous hairstyle. “If he really thinks finding someone in the city center is _that_ easy.”

Especially because they weren’t exactly the tallest in the trio.

Jubilife’s center was a massive multi-street crossing, with at least six roads that crossed each other. On all sides were high rise buildings, decorated with billboards - digital or otherwise. The largest building in the center was decorated with flashing images of a boy with pale green hair, dyed and styled into a feathery style, advertising drinks and other products.

They snort a little. “...A new idol, huh? Can’t say Sinnoh makes a very good touring destination, honestly.”

It wasn’t bad as Johto, where the entire nation was entrenched deeply into tradition and the past, but it was close. Sinnoh’s history is deeply entwined with spirituality, faith, and belief, and nature’s presence is impossible to ignore at times. The towns tended towards the smaller side, and the wilderness was vast and difficult to travel between.

“Wish you luck, Mister Idol, but your career’s probably gonna die out here.” The redhead salutes the billboard, the boy’s digital visage winking in time with it. “...You _are_ cute, though.”

With that distraction done, Charlie surveys the rest of the crossing, noting with a raised eyebrow that the roads are blocked off - an event happening in the center.

“...A free Grimoire if you complete a scavenger hunt, huh?” With a bit of a smile and a hop to their step, they mill with the crowd. “Already got mine, so no need to worry - !”

As they take their own Grimoire out to look at it - blue to match with Roland - a sudden gust of wind hits them, nearly knocking their feet out from under them.

“Crap -!”  
  


As they catch themself, their Grimoire drops from their fingers - and is caught by the wind.

_“...Wait, what?”_

The wind that carried their Grimoire away shimmers, and recombines into a small Daemon, dressed in pink - which continues to spirit away their Grimoire.

“Hey! That’s mine - the Professor gave it to me!” They shout, beginning chase - shoving through the crowd after the thief.

[ Thankfully, the thief leads them down a less popular section of road, bobbing and weaving between people. ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eNDudlGiL0)

With a look back, their eyes narrow.

Wind begins to blow harder, as it gathers in circles around them in a spiral. The thief hops, and turns in mid air, hands coming from under their pink cloak to direct if backwards as they spin back to keep running. The spiral pulls together, and with a single flash, launches a flurry of white needles of pure air towards Charlie!

In a flash of light, Roland manifests, blue motes of fireflies scattering as he stands his ground, manifesting a shield from light.

Well, the closest thing he can manage to a shield. A garbage lid counts, right?

“Ah, thanks, Roland!” Charlie gasps out, as they continue after the thief.

Roland nods, tossing the garbage lid away to follow. “No problem! I’ll break his head in once we catch him!”

“I think it might be a girl?”

Roland grins, almost feral, “Doesn’t matter! Head’s breaking anyway!” He sing songs out, before bursting into light, a single ribbon of blue that travels alongside Charlie as the Wizard sprints after the thief.

The thief suddenly comes to a stop, sliding on the pavement as they turn to look at Charlie - finally giving the Wizard a chance to look at them.

They - for Charlie can’t identify a gender - appear to have dark, almost black skin, like freshly turned earth and soil. Their hair is in wild, tight curls of black and pink, and their cloak seems to be made of patchworks of various pink fabrics - from insulation to furs to thick cottons - and interlaced with garbage.

“Hey!” Charlie yells, coming to a stop in front of them. “Give that back! It’s really important to me!”

“...Can’t.” They reply, voice neutral as wind begins to gather around them once more. “She traded me something good for this, so I can’t just hand it over.”

“Who -?!” Charlie’s question is cut off as the thief hops once - and begins to float, air keeping them aloft.

“Can’t say. She asked me not to.” With another hop, they leap high into the air - propelling off of the wind itself. As they reach the arc of their jump, wind gathers a second time to create a second platform that takes them to the rooftops.

Not wanting to lose their momentum, Charlie grits their teeth and runs straight towards the building.

“Roland!”

  
  
“Yeah!” The glittering trail of light that was Roland dives in front of Charlie, manifesting the penguin in a squat, his fingers together like a net.

Charlie leaps forward - and steps into them.

“Here we **GO!** ” With a scream of effort, Roland catapults Charlie up into the air, spiritualizing to follow the redhead up.

It isn’t enough of a boost to get them all of the way, so Roland manifests once more, grabbing hold of a horizontal flagpole with one hand, his feet firmly against the building. “Got ya!” He yells, as Charlie grabs hold of his hand, before being flung higher into the air.

Spiritualizing once more, Roland heads further up with Charlie, until he manages to reach the top - manifesting to catch the redhead, as they come just short of reaching it.

“You know, we could just get a free one, Charlie!”  
  


Charlie grits their teeth, as they climb onto the roof, looking for the thief. “But it wouldn’t be Professor Rowan’s Grimoire! He trusted me with it, just like he trusted me with you!”

“...Alright, then let’s go!”

Charlie doesn’t have the best stamina and isn’t the most athletic, of course, so a lot of the work is Roland flinging Charlie over gaps and catching the redhead mid fall as they continue to chase the Daemon across Jubilife’s skyscape.

Eventually, the Daemon Thief had taken them far away from the town center, towards a less kept up section of the city - as they leap, not to a roof, but down through a window of a dilapidated building.

“Roland!” Charlie calls, already leaping.

With a whoop, Roland leaps after them, falling faster as he wraps his arms around Charlie. Water explodes from his feet, launching them through the window while he protects Charlie from any glass.

The duo lands on the ground, Roland wincing a bit as he skids on his back with Charlie in his arms.

“You alright, Roland?” Charlie asks, gasping for breath as their stamina starts to completely bleed dry.

“Y-yeah, we’ve just gotta catch them, right? They’ve gotta be running out of places to run!”

Charlie nods, standing and pulling Roland with them as they look to a hole in the floor of the dilapidated building. “Then let’s get ‘em.”

Leaping down into the hole, Roland holding onto Charlie to slow their descent with his _Aqua Jet_ , the duo find themselves atop scaffolding, the entire area in disrepair, as if construction had been completely interrupted and stopped.

Roland grins, and points down into the dusty, rubble filled area. “Down there!”

Without a moment’s notice, Roland sets Charlie down, and jumps - rocketing down towards the thief, garbage lid at the ready.

With a mighty **CRASH** of metal against metal, Roland rams into the Daemon, knocking them into the wall.

“Urgghg!!!” They grunt, as they slide down, before hopping back to standing. “...You followed me here…?” They sound almost mystified, past their calm exterior. “...You must be crazy.”

“Says the one who steals something from someone they don’t even know!” Charlie yells, running across the scaffolding to head towards a ladder at the far edge of the construction set.

They cock their head. “Hmph. Maybe.” Wind starts to gather again, their pink cloak lifting in the breeze as another spiral of wind orbs is created. “But I’ve been paid good. Can’t back out on it now.”

“Hey! Your opponent is _me!_ ” Roland yells, suddenly in the Daemon’s personal space - the _rest_ of the garbage can now in hand.

With a loud grunt of effort, Roland **SLAMS** the garbage can around the Daemon, and kicks them in the side, sending them rolling across the floor with a loud _clang!_

“...Okay, _now_ I’m mad.” They mutter, as the wind spheres crush the garbage can, making it pop into mist. Hopping back to standing, the Daemon looks positively livid, eyes narrowed and fists clenched.

They dig their bare feet into the dirt, and rush forward, new spheres of air encircling them as they come to clash with Roland!

Swinging one hand up, a sphere of air follows the angle, becoming a slash of wind that Roland only barely manages to dodge as he pulls back.

Another slash of wind is met against a baseball bat, as the two deadlock each other for a moment.

“Heh, that’s a pretty cool trick you’ve got there, trashdude!” Roland grins, eyes glinting as midday light filters into the huge room.

A snort. “You’re calling _me_ garbage? You’re the one swinging trash cans around like a child.”

Roland presses further against his opponent, gritting his teeth. “And _you’re_ dressed in garbage!”

“Call it an aesthetic, then!” The wind slash pops, sending them both away, as Charlie finally reaches the ground, standing behind Roland. “But if you’re so keen on playing games...Then I’ll pitch.”

Calling a wind sphere to their hand, the pink Daemon tests its heft, before winding his entire body into a pitching stance.

Opposite of him, Roland gets into a perfect batter’s stance.

Both of their eyes glint, as the Daemon winds up for the first pitch -

And the ball sails across the room.

With a _clang_ , it impacts against Roland’s bat, and sails back towards its pitcher, who dodges with a clean step.

A few moments later, another ball flies.

And then another, and another, and another - a rapid, inhuman pitching speed, matched by Roland’s inhuman batting and precision, as the two’s trading continues.

If Roland misses one, then it’ll fly past him and hit Charlie.

If the Daemon doesn’t dodge, then they’ll be taken clean off of their feet.

A perfect perpetual motion machine that only continues to accelerate faster and faster, until the only thing visible are their respective movements and flourishes, the balls as invisible as air.

Until, as one, they both call out- 

******“THERE!”**

The pitcher sends forth all of their balls at once - transforming into spears mid flight.

At the same time, Roland breaks his bat apart into mist, and then back together into a garbage can.

Rather than spearing Roland through as intended, the spears impact the still forming garbage can - slowing their flight as Roland leaps forward and sprints towards his opponent. It’s slowed enough that it allows Charlie to dodge, barely rolling out of the way.

“W-warn me next time, Roland!”

The penguin laughs, as he gets right into the Daemon’s space, “There won’t be a next time, Charlie!”

“Gagh -!?” The Daemon only has a moment to ready themself - before a sledgehammer comes down into their guard, knocking them hard into the dirt, and onto their knees.

With a roar, Charlie rears back! “Again!”

Another slam down into the Daemon’s guard. Again, and again, and again, until -!

“This is it!”

Roland rears back - not to swing with his sledgehammer, but instead takes a completely different stance, as his sledgehammer becomes mist.

“FORE!”

Not a bat, not a hammer, not a pipe, but a _golf club_ comes into existence in the penguin’s hands, as he swings into the Daemon’s gut. The sound of a forced dry heave fills the air, as the Daemon is sent flying, before landing and skidding across the floor into a pile of construction equipment.

Flying from their hands is the blue Grimoire that belongs to Charlie - the redhead only just barely managing to catch it.

“Got it!” They yell and breathe at the same time, stumbling as they’re completely out of breath.

Roland cheers as he shoulders the golf club. “Yeah!!! Nice one, nice one, nice one! Shame that blue dude wasn’t here to see that, then he’d know who’s boss around here!”

“I’m pretty sure he’d just take it as reason for him to be even more insufferable, Roland…” Charlie mutters, before standing. “...Let’s check on them, okay?”

“...Eh? Why? They stole your stuff, and took us all the way across town!” Roland blinks, baffled.

“Yes, they did.” Charlie nods, walking over to the pile. “But they’re also crazy strong, Roland. Really strong, and really dedicated.”

“...Oooooh…” Roland nods, finally understanding. Then, he pouts. “...Oh! But, Charlie -!”

Charlie ignores Roland’s building protest, holding a hand out. “Hey, you okay?”

“...Yeah.” The rubble moves, as the Daemon’s curly haired head comes out, and the rest of their body follows. “...Sorry, but...she gave me a good meal for this. I can’t turn down good food, and taking without giving is rude.”

Their voice is still completely monotone, even as they speak.

“Well, how about this?” Charlie keeps their hand held out. “...I have a dream, and I need a lot of help, from a lot of powerful Daemons before I can make it come true. If you help me out, I’ll forgive this stealing thing, and I’ll even throw in free food for the rest of this journey.”

“...Heh. You drive a hard bargain.” The Daemon smiles, just a little. “Alright. You have a deal.”

Taking Charlie’s hand, they pull themself up to standing, as energy forms between them.

“Then with this name, I forge a contract between us.” Charlie speaks, voice loud and clear. “I grant you the name - **Oliver** , the knight of wisdom.”

“...I like that.” The Daemon, newly christened as ‘Oliver’, nods. “I’m happy to work with you two, then.”

“Hey, hold on -!” Roland runs up to the two. “Charlie, I get that he’s strong -”

“Not a he.”

“She -”

“Not that either.”

“Whatever! They may be strong, but what about me, huh?! I’m your first knight, so that means I’m the best! Ohhhh, you’d better watch yourself!” Roland turns on Oliver. “I’m Charlie’s first, so that means I’m in charge!”

Charlie can’t help but laugh breathlessly as they watch the two bicker - Roland putting all of his energy into it, and Oliver looking strangely pleased the entire time.

And, watching the trio, high atop a neighboring building, a woman smiles, too.

“Just what I expected of you. In fact…” She opens her eyes. “I’m actually _impressed_ , Charlie. I think that this requires a celebration.”

Unseen by the rest of the world, the woman stands, her long dress in earthy browns and vibrant violets shifting like waves. She opens her umbrella, and holds it high.

“In celebration of the beginning of your journey, and for passing your first test!”

And, for the first time in over twenty years, it begins to rain in Jubilife City.

===

Meanwhile, before clouds had begun to gather, Will was heading towards the west exit of Jubilife, towards the route to Canalave City. This section of the city was less developed for shopping, and had large corporate buildings and warehouses - which made sense, since Canalave was Jubilife’s primary shipping partner.

“We may as well check the corporate buildings to see if Shane’s friend thought they looked cool and ran in.” William said out loud.

“Yeah, yeah. Not like I can sense someone specific in this big place.” Thorns said grumpily.

William rolled his eyes, “Consider this punishment for just attacking a person like a feral. I’ll see if Shane or Charlie might be up for a fight once we find Shane’s friend.”

Thorns perked up at the promise of a fight. “Alright! I’ll do my best!”

William sighed at how his partner was at times.

Of course, having to babysit a fight junkie _and_ look for someone his new friend wanted to babysit wasn’t exactly an easy balance to strike.

Especially not when it felt like he was being followed.

The sound of someone shuffling behind him, only to vanish as he turned to look, and then the shadow reappearing further down the street.

“Thorns…” William spoke, his tone suggesting he was tired of the shenanigans going on.

“Yeah, William?” Thorns blinked, his red ‘hairs’ bouncing up and down like antennae picking up a signal, most likely sensing his partner’s emotions.

“Two _shiners,_ if you please.” The request sounded polite and casual, like this was something that happened all the time.

“Gotcha.” With that the Daemon disappeared, only for a pair of heavy ‘THWAK’s to fill the air an instant later.

“GURAGGGGHHH!!!!” A man tumbles out of the darkness, holding his face as he rolls on the ground. “A-an...an impressive move on your part, _Villain!_ ” The man shouts, rolling onto his back and flipping to stand, as if he wasn’t just punched in the eyeballs by the freak of nature that is Thorns.

With a short black hair cut, and a long trench coat, the man was obviously trying to be inconspicuous - in the most conspicuous way possible.

“But you will not defeat me! You’ve divined my position as a member of the International Police, but you will not have this victory!”

“Thorns.” William looked bored, despite the fact his Daemon just assaulted an international police member.

“Two or three more?” The Daemon asked, appearing at his Wizard’s side.

“Maybe four, if he doesn’t stop the theatrics and just tells us what he wants.” William replied before adding, “Not the first time a kidnapper wannabe acted like a member of a police force.”

Thorns just smiled - it wasn’t a nice one, either, as he cracked his knuckles eagerly.

“Kidnapper?! How dare you -?!” He rubbed his nose, and held out his badge. “My intentions were to supervise a suspicious person like yourself! I’ve heard reports of a man resembling your description causing havoc in these parts, stealing pokemon and the like.”

“Thorns.” Now it was William’s turn to smile - one eerily similar to his Daemon’s.

“Grill him?” Thorns was now bouncing from foot to foot.

“Yep. Seems a certain asshole is indeed here in Sinnoh.” The glint in William’s eyes was one of anger and a lot of misplaced aggression coming to a certain International Policemans’ way.

“Gghg...hold on, hold on, please -!”

Before the man could dig himself deeper into a hole, a short blond boy stepped out in front of him - holding out his own badge. “Cease your assault, lest I be forced to arrest you for aggression against an officer.”

He looked much younger than Will, Charlie, or Shane, dressed in a black and red suit, almost like a school uniform.

“You’re a fool if you think continuing this way will endear you to us, much less get you the information you want. So reel in that dog of yours.”

Thorns just looked ticked off at being called a dog, even as William took a deep breath. The younger male’s words giving the lavender haired wizard time to slightly cool down.

“Alright. I’ll hold him back, though we’re not apologizing for the pair of blackeyes your colleague has.” William said after a few more breaths. “Though if either of you are Wizard’s, would you mind a battle. This fight junkie is too riled up now.” The last line was punctuated with a pointed jab at Thorns.

“...Looker isn’t.” The blond sighs, putting away his identification. “But your partner there - he’s no match for Debonair. Just the energy from his manifestation would be enough to knock him off of his feet.” He didn’t even look confident - as if he were just stating a simple fact.

William sighed as he heard this because Thorns was now bouncing excitedly.

“CanICanICanI?” The Daemon repeatedly asked at a very rapid rate.

“Please just knock him out, else he’ll be pouty and annoying all week.” The lavender haired wizard now looked pleading at the blond.

The boy sighs, and then snaps. “...Debonair.”

Dark energy swirled forth from his shadow. Pure darkness, untouchable and fluid and consuming, flowing like the ocean.

And before it could even manifest in full -

Thorns was sent flying, darkness flowing off of him like rain, silence filling the air...until noise quickly flowed back in.

“As I said. Your partner is no match for Debonair.” The darkness returned, flowing back into the boy’s shadow from whence it had come. “He needs to learn better, before he fights someone who doesn’t pull his punches.”

“I figured. But again, he’s a fight junkie and he just heard that your partner was really powerful. He wouldn’t stop being annoying if this didn’t happen.” William said with a sigh, though a small fond smile was on his face.

Pulling out his grimoire, William had Thorns dematerialize and returned, a small glow emanated from his suit jacket pocket. “Thanks. Mind holding out your grimoire for a sec?”

With a raised eyebrow, the blond boy does so - the grimoire in a stark white, the same color as his gloves.

With a few taps both devices beeped before a cheery voice announced, _“Money transfer complete. Thank you for using First Persian Banking.”_

“That should also serve as reimbursement for the shiner’s without seeming like a bribe - since you did beat me. Thorns is my only partner at the moment.” William said with a nod. “Anything else you need, or can I go back to searching for a hyperactive blond? ...And visit a Daemon Center.”

Before the boy can respond, his nose twitches, as he looks up. “...Strange…” He activates his grimoire, and manifests an umbrella in white - just before it begins to _pour._

William mirrored the other boy’s action, though he was slower and thus got soaked in the interval.

“...It hasn’t rained in Jubilife in over twenty years. There’s an entire team of Daemons focused on maintaining its clear weather.” He frowns, as Looker tries to hide under the boy’s umbrella with him - far too tall to manage. “...I have no clue what sort of omen this is, but I’m unsure if it’s pleasant or not.”

He turns to Will. “...My name is Koya. Let’s head to the Daemon Center for your partner, and I shall send out a notice to some of our associates to be on the lookout for your friend.”

“Thank you, Koya. I am William Tell, pleasure to meet you. I’ll text some friends and if they find him before if you are still around I’ll tell you the search can be called off.” William replied, texting as the lavender haired young man and two international police head to the Center.

===

Having run straight north - expecting Barry to have done the same, simply running straight ahead as soon as possible - but finding nothing, Shane had made a quick run towards the eastern exit of Jubilife City, already feeling himself start to get exhausted.

“Arceus, why did I think running across town was a good idea…” He groans as he pauses to catch his breath.

“Haaaaahhhh, why is this place so big?! Are all big cities like this!?”

But even though he’s tired, he straightens up and keeps running. Because even if he’s already on his own Wizard journey, Barry has been his friend since elementary school, he’s not letting him go off on his own without fighting!

And getting his grimoire number! Because of course Barry didn’t have the foresight to give it to him before he left!

As he finally reached the east exit - as he _finally_ saw that tall blond hair and green scarf -

It began to rain.

It began to _pour_ , in Jubilife City.

“Barry!” Shane shouted out, hand outstretched towards his oldest friend.

The rain didn’t matter, he’s spent entire days playing in it with Barry before.

The blond perked up, and turned to Shane - standing atop an empty terrace overlooking the next route, completely ignoring the pouring rain. “Shane! You made it! I was worried you would get lost or something before you got here!”

He grins, completely missing the exhaustion and worry lacing through Shane’s body.

“But you’re here, so that doesn’t matter! I’ve been waiting and waiting, and now it can finally happen!”

And didn’t that just spark a familiar feeling in Shane?

His outstretched hand, once outstretched as though to reach out for Barry curled into a grabbing motion as Shane went for the blonde’s scarf.

“Barry, you impatient child! I thought we were going to meet in Sandgem! We said we’d explore the big city together!” Shane nearly roared in outrage, his exhaustion forgotten as his worry burst into an unbridled fury that only the friend of an idiot can understand.

But Barry isn’t fazed, his grin not leaving his face. Or...rather, it softens, just a bit. “I know, but...I couldn’t help but think about it. I needed to get here, before we took our big step. It had to be here, Shane! And it _has_ to be you! It can’t be anyone _but_ you!”

…

_Wait, replay that one last time._

“B-Barry, what-?” Shane was suddenly very aware of Barry’s close proximity, his grip on Barry’s scarf laxing from its usual deathgrip.

Barry slips from it, like a snake, before he grabs Shane’s hands, holding them tight in the rain. “It _has_ to be you, Shane! And it has to be me. Our first win, our first loss - it doesn’t matter which! The first step we ever take on our journey - it can’t be anyone else but each other. I don’t want to lose to someone before you. I don’t want to beat anyone before you! I don’t want anyone else to have that honor _but_ you!”

If Barry had used literally _any other phrasing_ to convey the fact that he wanted to have a Wizard's Duel with Shane, he would have laughed and happily agreed once he had a chance to catch his breath.

Unfortunately, Barry had **not** chosen any other way to phrase his words.

So the only reasonable response that Shane could come up with is slam his head into Barry’s thick skull, with all of the strength the volatile cocktail of frustration and embarrassment running through his veins could provide.

Barry doesn’t even recoil, his face just warping into a grin as he starts to laugh, their foreheads pressed together. “I know it’s dumb, and I know I’m a big idiot for not stopping before I got here. But, Shane - even if I can’t keep _that_ promise, I didn’t want to screw this promise up!” He looks up, the point of impact bruising and turning red already. “So, please -”

“Be my first opponent, Shane!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Christ that's a long chapter!
> 
> We have a lot of characters to introduce here, including our third protagonist properly. More than that, we have our first non-starter capture already, the reveal of some other characters.
> 
> And, most importantly, the chapter ends off with Barry being Barry.
> 
> Notably, this chapter was a lot of work on my end. I wrote the entire Charlie and Oliver section by myself, and it took a few hours to do! That's two thousand and five hundred words! I'm rather proud of myself, honestly, and I think I deserve it! (Speaking of, I'd love to hear guesses as to what Oliver is before next chapter comes out!)
> 
> Please stay tuned for next chapter, which will feature Barry and Shane's first fight!

**Author's Note:**

> A collaboration fic between myself and two friends. This is crossposted from QQ, as usual.
> 
> Now, obviously, we were inspired to do this because of the announcement of the Diamond and Pearl remakes. Now, personally, I don't have much love for those games, but I love Sinnoh to death as a region. After some talk with my two co-authors, we decided we'd have some fun with the concept of a Gijinka World, by splicing in Type Moon elements to really have fun with it. You'll see a lot more of that as we go along, but as of right now, it's just Wizards, Daemons, and Grimoires.
> 
> If you want descriptions of the protags, you'll have to wait for next chapter, sadly, since we're still short one!
> 
> (By the way, tagging this was hard.)


End file.
